Crossing for street-railways.



A. M. HOFFMAN. CROSSING FOR STREET RAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 4, 19x2.

Patented Apr. 14, 1914.

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INVENTOR flMJYof/maxz.

V Altarney A. M. HOFFMAN. GROSSING FOR STREET RAILWAYS. APPLICATION TILED DEG. 4, 1912 Patented Apr. 14, 1914.

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[NVILVTOR A. M. HOFFMAN. cnossma FOR STREET RAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 4, 1912 Patented Apr. 14, 19M

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inusuhfi To all whom it may concern:

"PATENT oFFroE.

AaTHUR M. HOFFMAN, or CAMDENSNEW i'nnsfiirf -cRossIN'd Eon STRE T-R iLWAYs- Specification of Letters Patent-( Applieation filed December 4, 1 912 Serial he. 734,956.]

. Be it known that I, ARTHUR I'IOfFMAN,

a citizen of the United States; residing at as to provide a Continuous bearing t'forthe car wheels during the passage offloarsover the crossing. f A further object of my invention is to so arrange the movable frogs that their movement will be entirely automatic, the front wheels of an approaching car, irrespective of the track upon Y which the car is coming or its direction of t r avel, engaging the frogs and swinging them into correct position."

Vith the above objects in view I'provide a crossing with a movable frog at each corner, and a further object of my invention is to provide means whereby the swinging of any one of thesefrogs because of its en-' gagementibyw a car-wheel will cause a corresponding swinging of the frog diagonally PP Site. Y

A further object of my invention is to provide means for adjustingthe relative movement of the fre s to do'away with all lost motion. And, a still further objectjof my invention is to provide a crossing of the above described character in which the operating parts will be'suit'ably inclosed housing. and thereforeproteetedi' With these and other objects inviewmy invention will be more fully described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings and then specifically pointed o'utfin the claims which are attached to and term a part of this application.

For a full understanding of'the invention reference-is to be had' to'the following description' and accompanying i' dra' w-ings in which Figure 1 is peis etivelview ar-" y im-' pr ved r in plifidfi ir e liff h .top plan. viewjof the crossing t road bed" and ladjacentitrelelrs V away to more clearly show its constrir'ctidrj, the cover-plate of theycrossi'ngbeinig removed for the same purpose.

plate being brolien'awayfto sl nect-ing rods between 'lthefl rogs. hor'iontal" seetional v1ew taken on w 3 3 i.Figyt andshm iflg oer-t held I of the frog opera ting "mechaiiis i a vertical diagonalse'citidri on b in'e -ll of Fig. 3 showing further detail the operating mechanism I and also showing the coverplate in position'."- Fig. 5 similarto Fig; 1",butillustratingahifidififiil form of construction. Fig.6 is aviW siirii lar to Fig. 4, but showing afmodified 'bori- "struction as illustrated in FigQ5; V y 7 Corresponding-and like parts are referred to in th followin descriptionnd? 1rd? cated in all the views'o frjthedrawiiigs the same reference characters, V d The preferred emb nentj 'offt'hefi proper of my inventio tides supporting a cross rai v at its top and" provided at closed casings-for the frog oper nisms, and af-cover-plate; seating on irame between the rails-an'd ef t n}; the frame to-forni-an 'ou'tercasi f entire structure. A

The bed-plate 110 is preferabl single piece in the form-"of" including merely- S aced fs'i'dej support therails of'on'e' trac ber's. 12 tov support the; rails track, the central portionofth" open to lighten the struct'. e. the costof manufacture, "Ihe n' the sideand end-members isjof on pendent upon the angle at cross each other, andinthe m therefore the base-plate rec The rail carrying frame 13 shape to the shape'ofthe template arid eludes spaced; vertical side waus e and similar end v'vebg: m -wane ends'by housings 16Q-the web's and15 and housings 16 heir) A east or otherwise form'edf i eg'rall 'eachother to io'rma cheap:g1jl ;at time rigid structure. The housings areusuail ly shape includingvertical fialls' n at; wa11 18, andf the web i4 amine I as I the housings are provided at suitable intervals with perforated cars 19 which seat upon the base-plate when the frame is'in place, bolts 20 being passed through the ears and threaded into the base-plate to secure the frame in place. At this point itwill be apparent, that considerablelateral strain will i be exerted upon the frame by the passage of cars over the crossing and to prevent shearing of the liol'ts because of this strain I pro vide the base-plate adjacent its corners with upwardly directed, rectangular bosses 21 which seat in the. lower ends of the housings when the frame is in place and hold the same against all lateral movement.

Although I have previously described the frame 13 as the rail-carrying frame, as a matter of fact, the webs Hand 15 are provided at their upper edges with horizontally disposed flanges 22 and 23, respectively, which form the rails of the crossing proper, the top walls of the housings being thickened to form continuations thereof and to also provide for the mounting ofthe movable frog-members, as best shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, these rail forming flanges being provided with the car wheel flangereceiving groove 24, common to rails for street railways and providing spaced apart bearing and guard-rail portions and 26, respectively. The ends of the rails thus formed extend slightly beyond the housings,

as shown, to bear against the ends of the track rails proper when the crossing is in place andaform therewith continuous tracks.

The thickened portions of the top Walls of the housings are recessed to provide seats 27 for the movable frogs 28. Each of these frogs is lemniscate in shape being formed of hardened steel and is positioned with its body member lying in the seat and with its point'extending across the flange groove 24 of the rail, the bearing flanges 25 of the rails being cut away at the rail intersections as shown at 29 to form stops for the frogs. It will therefore be apparent that when the ,frogs are swung into one position, they will form continuations of the bearing treads of certain of the rails, or when swung in the opposite position they form continuations of the bearing treads of the. other rails. In order to provide vmeans for mounting these frogs for simultaneousmovement I provide the top wall of the housings with bores 30 formed centrally through the frog seats to receive bosses 31 formed upon the lower faces of the frogs said bosses being provided with squared openings 32 for the reception of squared portions 33 of shafts 34-.

The frogs proper are provided with bores in alinement with the squared openings 32 and the shafts 34 are provided with reduced threaded terminals 35 which extend into the sockets formed by these bores and which re ceive nuts 36 by means of which the frogs are secured upon the shafts and held against turning movement thereon. A lever-arm 37 is keyed or otherwise secured upon the lower end of each of the shafts and the lever-arm of each shaft is operatively connected to thev lever-arm of the diagonally opposite raft by means of a connecting rod 38. "ihese-rods each consist of two members 39 and 40 the ends of which are passed through 0; -nings 41 formed in the inner walls of tin; housings and pivoted to the lever-arms, as shown at 42, while the adjacent end-portions are threaded as at 43 for co-action with the threaded sleeves 44 of turn-buckles 45 by means of which the length of the connecting rods proper 38 may be adjusted.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the swinging of any one frog will'cause the swinging of the frog diagonally opposite thereto, and it will be further noted that the lever-arms are so set upon the frog-carrying shafts that the frogs will swing in opposite directions to each other. p

A cover-plate 1 6, preferably cast'or otherwise formed in a single-piece, seats by its corners upon the innerv portions of the housings l6 and closesthe space between the webs of the frame, this cover-plate protecting the connecting rods and their turnbuckles and at the same time lying flush with the tracks in order to offerno obstruction to the passage of vehicles.

In installing my improved crossing the frame member is preferably supported by horses, or other suitable devices, and the shafts and operating levers positionedin the housings and the frogs secured thereon. The connecting rods are then secured to the levers and the turn buckles applied to properly adjust the same. The base or bed plate is then attached to the frame by bolts in the manner previously described when the crossing is ready for use. The road-bed is then dug away'to provide for the posit oning of the crossing which is lowered into place and seated either upon ties, not shown, or upon any suitable foundation of masonry or concrete, also not shown. VVhenproperly positioned, the ends of the track rails bear closely against the ends of the rails carried by the frame and continuous tracks are formed. The cover 46, which is preferably provided with handles 47 of the usual type I employed with manhole covers is then lowered into place. v

It will be apparent that this crossing may be at any time removed to permit of read justment of-the connecting rods and also that because of the nuts 36 the frogs may be at any time removed and replaced by'new ones if their points become worn by engagement with the car-wheels. \Vhen once installed, the crossing is therefore practically indestructible, as all parts liable to wear or disarrangement may be readily replaced when necessary. In order to prevent accumulation of dirt in the wheel flange grooves of the rails at the points where the rails cross each other I preferably provide the rails with openings 48 through which the dirt may pass to the housings, the swinging of the frogs across these openings keeping the rail grooves clear.

In operation, assuming the frogs to be in the position shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing, a car passing along the track rails 22 in either direction, would not engage the frogs, the frogs being already in position for such passage and forming with the bearing portions of the rails a continuous bearing surface for the tread of the car-wheels, all excessive noise being thereby avoided. Moreover, there being no actual breaks for the bearing surface for the wheels, all pounding of the wheels and of the car body is avoided", thereby greatly increasing the life of the car. If, on the other hand, a car should come along the tracks formed by the rails 23 in either direction, the flange of the forward wheels would strike against the points of the movable frogs at the near side of the crossing, swinging them and the frogs at the other side of the crossing into position to form a continuous tread for the car-wheel. It will therefore be ap tiarent, that the movement of the frogs, being actuated by the carwheels as they are, is entirely automatic, and that they will always be swung into proper position by the approach of a car to the crossing from any direction and along either track.

In Figs. 5 and 6 I have illustrated a somewhat modified form of construction in which the base or bed plate is entirely done away with and in which the crossing rail sections themselves constitute both the frame and rails, the housings being cast integrally with the rails at their points of intersection.

In the drawings and 23 indicate the crossing rail sections, the ends of which are extended considerably beyond the integrally formed housings 16', as shown. The movable points 28 are mounted upon the shafts 34 in the manner previously described and the lever arms 37 carried by these shafts are joined by adjustable connecting rods 38', as shown, this constructionbeing identical with that previously described.

The d lvice is also pro ided with a manhole cover 46 having handles 47. In this form of the invention however, the housings are provided with an integrally formed bottom 48 and the opening 41' through which the connecting rods pass is made large enough, as shown, to permit the positioning of the shafts, operating levers and connecting rods when the crossing is in place.

'ith this form of crossing, the parts are assembled and the entire crossing lowered into place, the extended ends of the crossing rail, sections being connected to the adjacent ends of the track rails by fishplates 49' and bolts 50.

It will of course be apparent that all repairs or adjustments may be made without the necessity of raising the crossing from place and in this respectthe form of my invention illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 is superior to the form illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4: inclusive.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that my invention is not limited to any specific form of construction and it will therefore be understood that minor changes in details of construction may be made at any time, if desired, without in the slightest degree departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus ilcscribed the invention what is claimed as new is:

l. A. railway crossing including crossing rail sections, movable points pivoted at the intersections of said sections and movable to form with the rail sections continuous bearing surfaces for wheels passing over either track, said points being arranged to be swung by direct engagement of the wheels in passing over the crossing.

:2. A. railway rrossing including intersecting rail sections, and' points pivotally mounted and movable to form with the rail sections continuous bearing surfaces for wheel passing over the crossing, the edges of said points extending across the rails extending at an acute angle toward the center of the crossing.

3. it railway crossing, including movable points adaptedto co-act with the rails of the crossing to provide continuous bearing surf-ices for wheels passing over the rails, each of said points being movable by direct engagement by a wheel, and connecting means between diagonally disposed points.

i railway crossing including pivoted points placed at the intersections of the rails or the tracks and arranged to be turned by direct engagement with wheels passing over the tracks. and connecting rods joining di- .-igonall v' located points, said rods being ad justable in length.

5. A railway crossing including a bedplatc. a railcarr ving frame mounted upon the bedplate, points pivoted upon said frame and co-acting with the rails to provide ctmtinuous treads -for wheels passing .over the rails, and connecting means be tween diagonally disposed points.

6. A railway crossing including a bedplate, a frame carried by the bed-plate and able. points in seats formed in the tops of the housings and extending into the spaces formed by the intersecting rail sections, and a cover-plate supported by the housings and closing the top of the frame.

8. A railway crossing including housings positioned beneath the intersections of the rails and having seats formed in their upper ends, movable points mounted in said seats and adapted to be swung through direct engagement by wheels passing 'ver the rails,

said seats being provlded with openings over which the points are movable, and connecting means between diagonally disposed points.

S). A railway crossing including crossing rail sections and housings cast integrally with said sections, movable points carried by the housings and movable across the wheel flange grooves of .the rails, and

means connecting diagonally disposed points wherebythe movement of one of the points will move the other.

10 A railway crossing including a base plate, a frame having vertical webs and housings at the juncture of the webs secured to the base plate, the base plate forming closures for the lower ends of the housings, the webs being formed to provide rail sections, movable points and seats formed in the tops of the housings and extending into the spaces formed by the intersecting rail sections, and the frame.

a removable cover plate closing 1 agonally located points.

11. A railway" crossing including crossing rail sections and housings cast integrally with said sections and closed at their upper and lower ends and having their opposed sides open, movable points carried by the housings and movable across the Wheel flange grooves of the rails, and means connecting diagonally disposed points, whereby the movement of one of the points will move the otherl 12. A railway crossing including crossing rail sections and housings cast integrally with said sections and closed at theiruppe' and lower ends and having their opposed sides open, movable points carried by the housings and movable across the wheel flange grooves of the rails, and means connecting diagonally disposed points, wherebj the movement of one of the points will move the other, said means including shafts upon which the points are secured, crank arms on the shafts, and connecting rods joining di: agonally disposed crank arms.

13. A railway crossing including pivoted points placed at the-intersection of the rails of the tracks and arranged to be turned by direct engagement with wheels passing over the tracks, and connecting rods joining di- 14. A railway crossing including pivoted pointsplaced at the intersection of the rails of the tracks and-arranged to be-turned by direct engagement with wheels passing over the tracks, and connecting rods joining diagonally located points, each of said con necting rods including a turn buckle construction.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

H. lV. GRIFFITH, AMeRosn BERKEBILE. 

